Author's Note: Thank you for your reviews and for reading my story. Here is the next chapter

Note: I do not own Warriors in any way, I just made up this plot and the characters

Chapter 2

ThunderClan cats were in clusters among themselves, eating fresh-kill and talking as Ashenpaw passed through the gorse tunnel. A few cats looked up at him inquiringly as if wondering where he had managed to slip off to, and more were puzzled about the flowers, most cats don't pick flowers. Ignoring their stares, the apprentice limped over to a small tree in the corner of the camp, covered with vines. Quietly he set down the flowers and yanked one of the many vines loose and began to wrap it around the flowers to keep them together.

The group of female apprentices giggled as they watched their clanmate. Each of them, with an exception of one, wished the flowers were for her.

"I wonder whose bouquet that is meant to be?" a brown tabby she-cat known as Heatherpaw asked, blinking dreamily.

Another she-cat examined her claws, sighing as if the answer was completely obvious. "I bet that's going to be for you Poplarpaw." She mewed, trying to sound bored in attempt to hide the envy boiling up inside of her.

The apprentice who this comment was directed to gave a small smile. "Ya think so Mistedpaw?" she asked, already knowing all of the apprentices in her so called posse agreed. Though she was the smallest and the most petite, Poplarpaw was thought to be the most beautiful. Her soft fur was a bright golden hue and in some places a bit darker seeing that she was a tabby. Her eyes were a deep emerald green that could make any tom's heart melt, even Talonstar, the ThunderClan leader, who would do whatever he could to please her though he had his own mate. That's why, at her request, the lucky apprentice got to have Yellowstripe (a handsome pale golden tom who she was smitten with until she started crushing on her latest tom) as her mentor.

"Of course Poplarpaw! He's head over heels for you! (This was said loudly and Ashenpaw, who was listening to the she-cats gabbing, snorted) Why is it that you always end up getting the handsome toms? I'm your sister, aren't I supposed to look a little bit like you?" A black she-cat, Stormypaw, saved Mistedpaw from replying to Poplarpaw's last question. She shot the other apprentice a warning glance. Poplarpaw merely smiled at the remark.

"What do you think Paintedpaw?" the popular apprentice asked to the calico to her right who had kept silent the whole time. The she-cat quickly thought up a opinion that would please her friend.

"Poplarpaw I agree. Why would he have any reason not to like you?" the cat known as Paintedpaw soothed. "If you feel nervous about it I can give you some thyme to calm you" she added, sitting up on her haunches.

"That would be great. Gee Paintedpaw, I'm so glad you became a medicine cat apprentice. I could never ask Spiderstep of these kinds of things. She would have never given me catnip to make Splitmoon go crazy over me!" At this all of the apprentices except for Paintedpaw giggled.

Splitmoon, a bengal tom, was the newest ThunderClan deputy (he had been deputy for 2 moons since the old one stepped down to become an elder) and most of the she-cats in the clan thought he was hot. Though she was moons younger than him, the deputy had always harbored a soft spot for Poplarpaw, and she was one of the youngest she-cats to ever have a deputy chasing after herself. Splitmoon had no self-restraint or guilt when it came to liking a she-cat and he could no longer resist Poplarpaw anymore and she knew it. Paintedpaw had given her friend herbs to keep her head and not do anything stupid so as to let the whole clan know of the couple's relationship.

Poplarpaw's thoughts of Ashenpaw were distracted as Splitmoon breathed down the back of her neck, sending shivers down her spine and entwined tails with hers, not worried that anyone besides the apprentices would notice seeing that they had gathered in a corner of the camp near the nursery.

The bengal tom leaned forward and whispered in her ear. "Great StarClan Poplar! You're too damn sexy for me to wait any longer for you!" Poplarpaw purred, standing up and shaking her golden pelt free of dust.

"Splitmoon I told you I'm not going to take the risk of getting pregnant until I become a warrior! But we can go snuggle in the apprentice den." With that the apprentice trotted off followed by a dazed looking Splitmoon. Instantly after they left the four remaining she-cats rolled their eyes, some looking annoyed.

"Disgusting! Why does she waste her time on that jerk? I used to think he was worth it, but its gross he would go after a she-cat so young!" Mistedpaw spat, eyes glinting.

Fur bristling, Stormypaw replied. "Because she feels more grown up this way! Having a grown, important tom chasing after her I mean. I wonder what mother and father would say about this!" The two sisters were actually half ThunderClan, their mother was a rogue who fell in love with a ThunderClan tom and got pregnant after a couple moons. After the two sisters were born their father was killed in a battle and their mother Sahara waited until her kits were apprenticed before leaving the forest. News came to the sisters a moon ago that Sahara had died from injuries from a fight with another tom for a higher rank in a rogue band she was in.

Paintedpaw sat silently as she listened to her friends talk bad about the she-cat who they all wanted to be the most like, but also liked to criticize the most. She was not obsessed with trying to be exactly like Poplarpaw nor did she worship the queen bee. Maybe that was why the leader of the posse favored her over the others.

The calico medicine cat's green gaze slowly drifted over to Ashenpaw, watching the tom sit back on his haunches and gaze at the flowers. She winced as she saw blood dripping off the gray cat's fur onto the earth beneath him.

Without giving her friends an excuse, she bounded over to the injured apprentice. "Are you ok Ashenpaw?" Paintedpaw asked, worry etched visibly across her features. The tom nodded quickly, dipping his head in greeting to the beautiful she-cat.

"I'm fine thanks. Just a little banged up." He shrugged it off, trying to make it appear as if it didn't matter. He decided quickly to wait to give her the flowers.

"Cut the crap, I can tell it hurts like hell. Give me your front paw, I can tell you aren't

putting any weight on it." At this Ashenpaw blinked in surprise as he heard her curse, he never knew she did. As he hesitantly let her examine his paw, he kept his brown eyes on her face, watching her grimace.

"Thorn. It's in there deep but I can manage to get it out. Come with me to Spiderstep's den." With that she started off, but paused as she looked over her shoulder worriedly as she watched her patient pick up the flowers and limp after her. Paintedpaw pushed through the cool ferns and strode into the dark den muttering softly.

"Some very lucky she-cat is going to be pleased when he gives her that bouquet."

This chapter took me forever to type, I hope you enjoyed it!